(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 25, 2010: Fresh evidence that US soldiers handed over detainees to a notorious Iraqi torture squad has emerged in army logs published by WikiLeaks.

The 400,000 field reports published by the whistleblowing website at the weekend contain an official account of deliberate threats by a military interrogator to turn his captive over to the Iraqi "Wolf Brigade".

The interrogator told the prisoner in explicit terms that: "He would be subject to all the pain and agony that the Wolf battalion is known to exact upon its detainees."

The evidence emerged as the deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, said the allegations of killings, torture and abuse in Iraq were "extremely serious" and "needed to be looked at".

Clegg, speaking on BBC1's Andrew Marr Show, did not rule out an inquiry into the actions of British forces in Iraq, but said it was up to the US administration to answer for the actions of its forces. His comments contrasted with a statement from the Ministry of Defence today, which warned that the posting of classified US military logs on the WikiLeaks website could endanger the lives of British forces.

Clegg said: "We can bemoan how these leaks occurred, but I think the nature of the allegations made are extraordinarily serious. They are distressing to read about and they are very serious. I am assuming the US administration will want to provide its own answer. It's not for us to tell them how to do that."

Asked if there should be an inquiry into the role of British troops, he said: "I think anything that suggests that basic rules of war, conflict and engagement have been broken or that torture has been in any way condoned are extremely serious and need to be looked at.

"People will want to hear what the answer is to what are very, very serious allegations of a nature which I think everybody will find quite shocking."

A Channel 4 Dispatches programme tomorrow night is expected to add further details based on the logs of alleged abuse directly by coalition forces. Only two cases of alleged involvement of British troops have so far been mentioned.

Within the huge leaked archive is contained a batch of secret field reports from the town of Samarra. They corroborate previous allegations that the US military turned over many prisoners to the Wolf Brigade, the feared 2nd battalion of the interior ministry's special commandos.

In Samarra, the series of log entries in 2004 and 2005 describe repeated raids by US infantry, who then handed their captives over to the Wolf Brigade for "further questioning". Typical entries read: "All 5 detainees were turned over to Ministry of Interior for further questioning" (from 29 November 2004) and "The detainee was then turned over to the 2nd Ministry of Interior Commando Battalion for further questioning" (30 November 2004).

The field reports chime with allegations made by New York Times writer Peter Maass, who was in Samarra at the time. He told Guardian Films : "US soldiers, US advisers, were standing aside and doing nothing," while members of the Wolf Brigade beat and tortured prisoners. The interior ministry commandos took over the public library in Samarra, and turned it into a detention centre, he said.

An interview conducted by Maass in 2005 at the improvised prison, accompanied by the Wolf Brigade's US military adviser, Col James Steele, had been interrupted by the terrified screams of a prisoner outside, he said. Steele was reportedly previously employed as an adviser to help crush an insurgency in El Salvador.

The Wolf Brigade was created and supported by the US in an attempt to re-employ elements of Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard, this time to terrorise insurgents. Members typically wore red berets, sunglasses and balaclavas, and drove out on raids in convoys of Toyota Landcruisers. They were accused by Iraqis of beating prisoners, torturing them with electric drills and sometimes executing suspects. The then interior minister in charge of them was alleged to have been a former member of the Shia Badr militia.

It is unclear which US unit filed the report of complaint that detainees were being specifically threatened with being turned over to the Wolf Brigade. The entry describes the capture of prisoners near the town of Falluja, west of Baghdad.

It is headed "Alleged detainee abuse by interrogators", and reads: "On 14 December 2005, a raid was conducted whereby five individuals were detained for suspicion of emplacement of IEDs [improvised explosive devices] as a result of a pid [positive identification]. "During the interrogation process the RO [ranking officer] threatened the subject detainee that he would never see his family again and would be sent to the 'Wolf Battalion' where he would be subject to all the pain and agony that the 'Wolf Battalion' is known to exact upon its detainees."

The war logs also disclose that Wolf Brigade members were themselves at risk of reprisals. In January 2007, US soldiers reported a gruesome discovery in a street near Baghdad: "Only the severed head was found.

A wire was run through the ear with the corpse's ID attached to the wire. 3rd bn commander identified the remains as Ahdel Abu Hussain, he was an officer in the NP [national police] Wolf Brigade."

Lawyers said the reports may embroil British as well as US forces in an alleged culture of abuse and extrajudicial killings. Phil Shiner, of Public Interest Lawyers, appearing alongside the WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, at a press conference in London, said some of the deaths may have involved British forces and could now go through the UK courts.

(NSI News Source Info) KABUL, Afghanistan - October 25, 2010: Afghan President Hamid Karzai is standing by his decree to dissolve the private security companies some aid organizations use for protection, although a delegation of Western diplomats warned Sunday that huge amounts of aid and development money could be affected.

Several international aid organizations are drawing up plans to withdraw from Afghanistan, worried about the ability of Afghan security forces to protect their staffs, potentially taking with them billions of dollars in development cash as well as jobs for ordinary Afghans. President Karzai's decree makes exceptions for foreign embassies and military bases, but not aid groups.

Western officials warned Mr. Karzai in the Sunday meeting that the cash these development organizations manage will not start flowing directly to the Afghan government if they leave, said people familiar with the discussion.

Some officials are worried that Mr. Karzai, whose government is fraught with corruption, is planning to get control of more of the aid money if these groups leave the country.

Mr. Karzai said he plans to move ahead with the private-security ban, which he outlined in August, setting a four-month implementation deadline. "The government of Afghanistan is [determined] to disband the private security companies and therefore asks our international partners for practical and sincere cooperation," Mr. Karzai said Sunday's meeting, according to a statement from his office.

The Afghan president has accused private security companies of causing civilian casualties and of corruption. He asked the international delegation that visited him Sunday to provide a list of the big development projects that need security, according to the statement.

"This is a non-starter," said a Western official familiar with Sunday's meeting. "Trying to select or single out individual projects is not a solution… The decree will have fairly catastrophic consequences for development and progress in Afghanistan."

The U.S.'s commander of coalition forces, Gen. David Petraeus, met with Mr. Karzai Sunday, as did the top United Nations representative to Afghanistan, Steffan di Mistura, and the U.S. ambassador to Kabul, Karl Eikenberry, among others.

Although the international delegation expressed their support for Mr. Karzai's ban, they asked that exceptions be made for aid and development groups. U.S. government and NATO officials concede that using private security firms isn't optimal, either.

Still, doubts remain about whether Afghan security forces can step in to fill the gap that the ban will create. They are already stretched thin, battling an insurgency that is proving resilient and spreading throughout the country.

This year has been the deadliest for NATO forces since the start of the nine-year war, with at least 599 soldiers killed so far, according to icasualties.org, an independent monitoring group.

Afghanistan's ministry of interior says its forces are capable of keeping aid organizations secure and will provide police from a special department to protect these groups for a fee, said Zemarai Besharay, the ministry's spokesman.

"Why not have the money paid to private security companies go to the ministry of interior?" Mr. Besharay said.

The ministry's plan is adding to concern among Western officials that the Afghan government is hoping that the ban on private security companies will be lucrative for the government. Western officials have told the government that the money the organizations spend on private security companies won't be directed to the Afghan police.

Spokesmen for Mr. Karzai couldn't be reached for comment Sunday.

In a separate development, four insurgents dressed in police and women's clothing stormed a U.N. compound in western Herat province, killing at least two Afghan security guards but failing to kill or injure any of the international aid workers, according to a U.N. statement.

The insurgents blew up a car packed with explosives, blowing open the gate to the U.N. compound before the insurgents entered the building. The Afghan police responded to the attack and fought off insurgents.

(NSI News Source Info) MANILA, Philippines - October 25, 2010: Philippine security forces have arrested five suspects in the bombing of a passenger bus in the country's south on Thursday that left 10 people dead and 30 others injured, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

Lt. Col. Benjamin Hao, spokesman of the Army's 6th Infantry Division, said the suspects were apprehended by military and police forces on separate occasions in North Cotabato Province and Cotabato City on Friday and on Saturday.

The suspects were 15-year-old Piko Tnagkulo; Ibrahim Alimanan, alias Siang Ulama; Alex Samal, Yazer Talusiog; and Abdulh Alib Talusog, who are all under the custody of the North Cotabato provincial police office at present.

First to fall was Tnagkulo who was nabbed by elements of the North Cotabato provincial police office on Friday in the province. Hao could not however say the other circumstances of the arrest of Tnagkulo.

During questioning, Tnagkulo implicated the four other suspects who were nabbed by elements of the Army's Task Force Tugis and police forces around 12:30 p.m. Saturday along Sheriff st., Barangay Rosary Heights in Cotabato City.

"The latter (Tnagkulo) revealed his companions in the said bombing operation who are present in Cotabato City ... He provided the names, gave us the lead, prompting the operations in Cotabato City," said Hao.

Officials have earlier surmised that the extortion group Alcobar could be responsible for the detonation of the improvised bomb inside the bus which was in transit and on the way to Tacurong City from Cagayan de Oro City.

When asked for the group affiliation of the arrested suspects, Hao said: "We are not yet certain ... We are still checking."

(NSI News Source Info) KOTTAKKAL, Kerala, India - October 25, 2010: With the stress of daily life, rejuvenation and renewal is necessary for us to continue on with day-to-day tasks in a healthy way. A little break helps to renew our mind, body, soul and spirit. There are many ways in which one can accomplish daily renewal and rejuvenation.

Arya Vaidya Sala Kottakkal is a must visit yearly for uplifting and to rejuvenate body, soul and mind., there are regular visitors to Arya Vaidya Sala, annually since a quarter century and was founded in 1902 by Vaidyaratnam P.S. Warrier. This is one among the best ayurvedic clinics in India and people from all over the world come here for treatment.

Evenings were leisure time for gup shup at No. 15, K. V. & Carina Seth with friends from different parts of our globe. We wish all our new discovered friends Health, Wealth & Happiness. (Photos courtesy of Carina Seth)

Ayurveda is the oldest existing health care system. Ayurveda's growth graph in the past decade has been impressive. Middle and upper class people who had shifted their allegiance completely to allopathy, are again trying out ayurveda and other therapies, after bad experiences with allopathy. The Indian government, with an eye on nationalistic legitimacy, is also promoting ayurveda.

Besides, private enterprise is active in what can be called the Kerala school of ayurveda. The result is the blossoming of panchkarmaclinics and hospitals al lover India. The panchkarma are the five internal cleansing procedures akin to the six in yoga. They are: vasti (enema), vamana (vomiting), virechana (purgation), nasya (application of herbal preparations through the nostrils), and rakta moksha (therapeutic release of toxic blood).

Kottakkal History, an Eranadan village, is located on the western side of Malappuram, the district head quarters. Even though effervescent with the arrogance of city life in its veins, Kottakkal sustains its serenity, lingering on with the lost memories of bygone grandeur. Just walk through the alleys of this village where history slumbers. You could hear the footsteps of centuries of Kerala history rustling in its glades.

Kottakkal, known as White Fort in Sanskrit, Venkalikotta and Venkitta Kotta in Malayalam was a small militarily base of the King of Valluvanadu till the first halt of 18th century in Christian era. Karuvayoor Moosad, the chief marshal and preacher of Valluvakonathiri lived here. May be the forts and castles constructed by him bestowed the title Kottakkal to this village. The suburbs of Kottakkal were known as Changuvettikadu and Eyyakkadu. Karuvayoor Moosad assassinated Thinayancherry Elayath , one of the ministers of Zamorin. Then Moonnarpadu Thampuran, the cousin of Zamorin of Calicut killed Karuvayoor Moosad in a combat and restored control of the fort. The kith and kin of this Thampuran dwelled in Kottakkal there after.

The invasion of Tippu, diverged the course of Kottakkal's history as in the case of many other villages. But the wonderous fact was that the diversion reflected on the cultural field only. A kin of Zamorin of Calicut who had been sheltered in Travancore fearing the Mysore invasion, later settled in Kottakkal after the death of Tippu in 1799. Among them the most prestigious Name was that of Manorama Thampuratty Highly scholastic and with her Travancore-Cochin connections, she could represent an inter kerala cultural course.

(NSI News Source Info) MOGADISHU, Somalia - October 25, 2010: Somali pirates have hijacked a Singapore-flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanker off the coast of east Africa, the European Union anti-piracy taskforce and a regional maritime official said on Sunday.Andrew Mwangura of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme said the pirates seized the Greek-managed MV York off Kenya on Saturday afternoon, less than 12 hours after it sailed from the Kenyan port of Mombasa.

The European naval force, EU Navfor, said the vessel had a crew of 17, including a German master, two Ukrainians and 14 Filipinos, and was seized 50 miles (80 kms) from Mombasa.

"She was taken at 1730 local time. She was sailing empty after discharging her LPG cargo at the Shimanzi oil terminal in Mombasa," Mwangura told Reuters.

A pirate who identified himself as Hassan told Reuters by telephone that the tanker was now heading for Garad, a pirate base on the coast of central Somalia.

A lack of effective central government in the lawless Horn of Africa nation has allowed piracy to flourish off its shores. Somali pirates are holding 19 vessels with 428 hostages. Typically they earn a ransom for their release.

ANKARA - Raytheon has entered into an agreement with a leading Turkish defense systems manufacturer to for the co-development of a major end item for the Patriot Air and Missile defense system. ... full story21 Oct 21:15 EDT (01:15 GMT)

ANKARA - Raytheon has entered into an agreement with a leading Turkish defense systems manufacturer to for the co-development of a major end item for the Patriot Air and Missile defense system. ... full story21 Oct 21:15 EDT (01:15 GMT)

NEW DELHI - Eurocopter, a unit of European aerospace giant EADS, unveiled an Indian subsidiary on Oct. 20 that will aim for contracts in the local market worth $138 million over the next five years. ... full story20 Oct 09:38 EDT (13:38 GMT)

Fuel capacity will be a major factor in deciding the outcome of the U.S. Air Force's $35 billion KC-X tanker competition, which will likely be the Air Force's last tanker buy for decades, according to an influential analyst and a former Air Force three-star general. ... full story19 Oct 14:19 EDT (18:19 GMT)

ANKARA - Raytheon has entered into an agreement with a leading Turkish defense systems manufacturer to for the co-development of a major end item for the Patriot Air and Missile defense system. ... full story21 Oct 21:15 EDT (01:15 GMT)

With major U.S. military aircraft programs winding down, the State Department's announcement of $60 billion worth of fighter jet and helicopter sales to Saudi Arabia came as welcome news to U.S. aerospace companies. ... full story20 Oct 18:24 EDT (22:24 GMT)

NEW DELHI - Eurocopter, a unit of European aerospace giant EADS, unveiled an Indian subsidiary on Oct. 20 that will aim for contracts in the local market worth $138 million over the next five years. ... full story20 Oct 09:38 EDT (13:38 GMT)

ROME - The CEO of Italy's Finmeccanica has said he would like to sell his firm's C-27J tactical transport aircraft to China, given that U.S. President Barack Obama has proposed the sale of C-130s to China. ... full story18 Oct 17:21 EDT (21:21 GMT)

With major U.S. military aircraft programs winding down, the State Department's announcement of $60 billion worth of fighter jet and helicopter sales to Saudi Arabia came as welcome news to U.S. aerospace companies. ... full story20 Oct 18:24 EDT (22:24 GMT)

TEL AVIV - Spurned by Turkey, a partner in bilateral and multilateral military exercises for more than a decade, the Israel Air Force is now conducting routine drills with Ankara's Aegean rival, Greece. The large-scale drill involved UH-60 and AH-64 helicopters and fighter jets from the Israel Air Force, along with Apaches, AS332 Super Puma and fighters from the Hellenic Air Force. ... full story15 Oct 14:16 EDT (18:16 GMT)

Tel Aviv - After nearly eight years of politically charged evaluation and negotiation, followed by acrimonious cost-benefit deliberations within the Israeli Cabinet, it is now official: The Israel Air Force will become the first non-partner nation to fly the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. ... full story8 Oct 18:24 EDT (22:24 GMT)